System and method to protect original music from unauthorized reproduction and use

ABSTRACT

Provided is a new digital music storage and readout system and method that incorporates layers of anti-pirating features to inhibit unauthorized reproduction of device music content. This concept and device design may be extended to video storage and playback.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/544,015 filed on Aug. 11, 2017, by Boxell, et al.titled “Invention to Protect Original Music from UnauthorizedReproduction and Use,” which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention presents a new concept and method of packaging commercialmusic which will inhibit unauthorized reproduction or pirating of thecommercial or original music. An extension of this concept and method ofpackaging can be applied to original videos.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Presently, artists (musicians and singers) and producers sell theirmusic creations commercially using the medium of CDs and by authorizeddigital downloading from the internet or via a personal cell phone.Through these sales the artists and producers earn their income as areward for their creative efforts. Unfortunately unauthorizedreproductions or pirating of this music can be easily done by “ripping”the music from the CD or copying the digital downloads or byfile-sharing between individuals. These unauthorized reproductions orpirating of this music deprives the artists and producers of theirincome. Further, this practice is unfair as well as discouraging artistsand producers from investing time and money in creating high-qualitymusic. A CNN/Money report of Jun. 24, 2005 reported that the “globalblack market for stolen music discs reached $4.6 billion last year—orone in three CDs.” See,http://money.cnn.com/2005/06/24/news/international/music_piracy/. AneWEEK report of May 5, 2011 reported that “software piracy jumped 14percent worldwide, costing software companies about $59 billion,according to the Business Software Alliance.” See,http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Software-Piracy-Costs-59-Bn-in-Lost-Revenue-May-Be-Even-Higher-Survey-272553.Revenue losses through pirating will only increase with time.

Unauthorized reproduction or pirating of music may also occur from othertechnologies such as older audio magnetic tape cassettes, videocassettes, real-to-real magnetic tapes and the newer thumb drives orhigh capacity digital memory devices.

As a result of the rampant unauthorized reproduction or pirating of thisoriginal music a method must be found that inhibits this practice whilenot inhibiting the commercial sales of this original music. Thisinvention provides a solution to this problem as well as expandingmarket opportunities to increase music sales.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

As a result of the reduction in feature size and cost of digital storagewhich has recently been quoted at less than 30¢ per GB, seehttps://www.pny.com/mega-consumer/shop-all-products/usb-flash-drives,and considering over 300 songs may be stored in a 1 GB, music tracks maybe digitally stored for less than 1¢ per track. This leads to theconcept of replacing the CD which is based on optical storage with a newdevice based on digital storage and packaging the digital chips in sucha way that inhibits unauthorized reproduction or pirating of the devicecontent. The digital storage capacity of the digital chip set may beeasily scaled using conventional industry practice to accommodate anyreasonably desired number of music tracks.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention packages the digitalstorage chip set with battery in a small sealed block of suitableplastic having no external electronic connections by which to access thedigital storage media. This new device shall be referred to as the BMP3module, or simply BMP3.

This preferred embodiment of the BMP3 invention outputs stored musiccontent by way of a Ghz signal by implementing a Bluetooth filter ornon-standard version of the industry's Bluetooth communication protocolor proprietary firmware. Using this non-standard Bluetooth communicationmethod, with special BMP3 control software prevents unauthorizedreproduction or pirating of the digital content contained in the BMP3'schip set.

In summary, the preferred embodiment of the BMP3 provides unlimitedstorage of musical tracks compared to a CD and unlike a CD which offersno anti-pirating capability the BMP3 has multi-layers of anti-piratingfeatures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a packaging concept of the BMP3 and compares it topackage sizes of two familiar objects.

FIG. 2 illustrates an LCD screen added to the BMP3 preferred embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates an electronic block diagram of the BMP3 preferredembodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates the System Use of the BMP3 preferred embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating User Operation of the BMP3 preferredembodiment of a basic BMP3.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating User Operation of the BMP3 preferredembodiment with an imbedded LCD screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specificnumbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however,to one having ordinary skill in the art, that the invention may bepracticed without these specific details. In some instances, well-knownfeatures may be omitted or simplified so as not to obscure the presentinvention. Furthermore, reference in the specification to “oneembodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearancesof the phrase “in an embodiment” in various places in the specificationare not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

The preferred embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 is a sealed module 10containing a rechargeable Li-ion battery 12, top surface non-contacton-off switch 11, LEDs 9, charging NFC 24 and internal electronics 8.The electronics 8 functional block diagram, shown in detail in FIG. 3comprises functional electronic blocks implemented using industry commonelectronic parts designed by any electronic engineer skilled in the artof electronic design. A hidden feature of the non-contact on-off sliderswitch 11 is the concealed magnet in contact with the BMP3 plastic case.

The preferred embodiment uses the industry standard Near FieldCommunication (NFC) technique of implementing the battery chargingcurrent through magnetic coupling between an external NFC coil andinternal BMP3 NFC coil 24. Alternatively but discouraged, the NFCapproach may be eliminated and the battery charged through a simplestandard jack 28. An obvious extension of these two battery chargingconcepts is to provide both. The NFC approach is preferred in order toretain the BMP3 sealed package but inclusion of the charging jack doesnot compromise the anti-pirating feature since it only connects to thebattery through unidirectional diodes.

In this preferred embodiment the BMP3 unit includes a series of sealedtiny LEDs 9, 19 to indicate such things as mode of operation, batteryusage, etc. As an example, these LEDs may present battery usage dividedby quarters with the last LED caused to blink when the battery drainreaches 10%. Such an arrangement of LEDs and function is straightforward when controlled by a micro-controller. These tiny or micro-LEDsmay take the form of individual LEDs, a 1× string of LEDs, a 2dimensional LED matrix or an LED character display. A typical example ofa single micro-LED is the SunLED part number XZM2CRKM2DG55 W-8 orXZMDK53 W-8. Four of these in a row would implement the batterydepletion function described above. More elaborate user functions may beimplemented by displaying alpha-numeric characters using, as an examplea 4 digit 7-segment character display by Lumex part number LDQ-M516RI.There a literally hundreds of LED options with current technology.

In an embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 , the BMP3 Electronic BlockDiagram contains the following standard or typical designs and keyparts:

-   -   a. NFC coil 24 is discussed in a separate paragraph above. This        coil part may be a commercially selected part such as the        PulseLarsen Antennas W35xx or may be incorporated as part of the        electronic designed PCB layout.    -   b. Battery charging control circuit 23 consists of standard        electronic parts designed as a modified or programmable current        driver to provide a specific battery high charging current        degrading to a trickle charging current as the battery reaches        100% capacity.    -   c. Magnetic reed switch 26 is a specialty part such as the        Littlefuse Inc part number 59170-1-U-00-D, which is a sealed dry        contact switch that is made when a magnetic is placed in close        proximity to the switch package.    -   d. Battery 25 typically a Lithium-ion rechargeable battery sized        to provide the desired BMP3 operating time.    -   e. Battery regulator 27 consists of standard electronic parts        designed to provide a fixed output voltage independent of        battery voltage. As the battery degrades in capacity its voltage        will degrade and the battery regulator will ensure the        electronics are protected from this voltage degradation. The        battery regulator may implement the function of a high        efficiency buck converter or similar electronic scheme all of        which are within the realm of standard practice for an        experienced electronic engineer.    -   f. LED 19 as discussed in a separate paragraph above.    -   g. Micro-controller 20 containing special BMP3 developed        software controls the BMP3 operation, except the battery 23,        battery regulator 25 and charging/control circuit 27. The        detailed functions performed by the micro-controller are        discussed later. There are many micro-controllers or computer        chips to choose from in the industry. For example, the Microchip        Company has an extensive family of microchip controllers        exhibiting various distinct features of I/O, #bits, on board        memory capacity, flash memory, extent of instruction set, low        power, etc. One example of such a device is the PIC 16F15324.    -   h. Handshake codes storage 28 is a set of EEPROMs to store these        codes. This set of EEPROMs is shown as a separate chip set but        may in fact be integrated into the micro-controller 20 depending        on how much internal storage the selected micro-controller 20        has beyond what is required to store the BMP3 software.    -   i. Music digital storage 21 is a set of EEPROMs to store the        collection of music tracks. If the BMP3 is marketed as a single        use device this storage may be implemented using EPROMs or        PROMs. The amount of storage required or number of chips depends        on the desired music capacity of the BMP3. Each music track        requires 3-5 MB of storage.    -   j. Bluetooth Electronics 22 is a specialty chip or chipset. The        current technology uses the Bluetooth v4.1 specification, but        v4.2 is emerging so the best “standard” chip set will        undoubtedly change in the near future. Based on specific        anti-pirating features discussed herein one aspect of the        invention uses proprietary or nonstandard firmware programmed        into standard chips such as the Nordic Semiconductor nRF51822        chip, or equivalent, and used in both the BMP3 and Bluetooth        speaker unit 34. The Bluetooth function in the BMP3 is discussed        in a separate paragraph immediately below.    -   k. Bluetooth Ghz antenna 29 is a specialty device coupled to the        Bluetooth Electronics 22. Which antenna is used depends on the        Bluetooth frequency band selected. An antenna example is the        dual band Johanson Technology, Inc., part number 0900AD47A2450.

In this preferred embodiment communication of music content uses aBluetooth protocol 22 to deliver music to external speakers. Thisapproach eliminates the possibility that any external computer devicecould access the BMP3 computer 20 and thereby access the music digitalstorage 21, since there is no direct wiring. And in addition, theBluetooth electronics together with the BMP3 computer are designed toallow only unidirectional transfer of music content while still allowingthe usual “handshake” protocol with a remote Bluetooth capable devicewhich interfaces with speakers. A “handshake” is an industry standardterm meaning connecting or pairing two compatible Bluetooth enableddevices.

This key feature of the BMP3 computer/Bluetooth protocol to limittwo-way communication between the external paired Bluetooth device andthe BMP3 includes but is not limited to the following BMP3 outputs:

-   -   a. BMP3 model, serial number and warranty information    -   b. Stored music track title information to include the typical        track number, title, artist, etc.    -   c. List of all stored music titles.    -   d. Selected single music track digital stream.    -   e. Digital stream of all music tracks in order.    -   f. Digital stream of random music tracks.    -   g. Preprogrammed validated handshake codes.    -   h. Usage time/battery time.

Accepted BMP3 Bluetooth transmission requests by the paired Bluetoothdevice are limited to the factory set and preprogrammed validatedhandshake codes or by authorized updates to this set of handshake codes.

Another key feature of the preferred embodiment, controlled by theimbedded BMP3 software 20, following receipt of a valid Bluetooth codefrom the pairing device is to store handshake code, date and time stamp.This paired and validated hand shake between the BMP3 and externalpaired Bluetooth device adds a further layer of protection by creatingan auditable trail if needed for future investigation.

Another key feature of a preferred embodiment, controlled by theimbedded BMP3 software 20, is to control post manufacture and postpurchase updates to a Bluetooth pairing code by allowing code updatesthrough a connection to a special Web site with the connection beingmade through the desired Bluetooth connection coupled to cell phone,tablet, computer, etc.

The micro-controller 20 operation performs the following functions, as aminimum:

-   -   a. Startup reset when battery power is detected.    -   b. Monitor Bluetooth communication to detect a handshake        request.    -   c. Control pairing communication through the Bluetooth        circuitry.    -   d. Transfers valid pairing handshake information to the pairing        memory storage.    -   e. Temporarily registers the requested operating condition,        example: random streaming of music tracks.    -   f. Provides requested music/device information, examples:        library music selections and battery usage.    -   g. Channels the requested music as a digital stream from BMP3        digital storage to the Bluetooth transmitting output power        stage, adding a high frequency RF modulated digital tag before        each music track.

The high frequency RF digital tag identified above is one more layer ofbuilt-in anti-pirating security. The use of this digital tag is anoption when the Bluetooth filter approach is used but it is mandatorywhen the standard Bluetooth protocol is used. This tag allows theidentification of the track origin and due to the tag's high frequencyis typically beyond a speaker's frequency response and is therefore notheard by the user. If there is any residual hissing sound caused by theimbedded high frequency digital tag this can be eliminated by use of apurpose built Butterworth filter as one example, either passive oractive, imbedded in the speaker unit. Or alternatively, the highfrequency RF digital tag may be specifically designed to interfere withaudio quality requiring the inclusion of a Butterworth or equivalentfilter in the speaker unit.

In a more sophisticated approach to imbedding a high frequency RFdigital tag in the Bluetooth audio output is to further encode the audiostream with either an analog or digital carrier which must besynchronously stripped out by purpose built circuitry in the audiospeaker unit. This circuitry would use synchronous coding generated bythe BMP3 computer and output by the BMP3 Bluetooth along with the audiostream.

Another preferred approach to adding a layer of built-in anti-piratingsecurity is to indirectly encode the audio output stream from the BMP3Bluetooth by implementing a non-standard Bluetooth handshake protocol sothat only a matching Bluetooth unit will pair correctly. This approachmay be termed a Bluetooth filter as mentioned above.

Another approach is to design the BMP3 with dual Bluetooth connectivity,as follows:

-   -   a. Pair with a proprietary Bluetooth protocol labeled here as        the Bluetooth filter. This would require a companion speaker        unit having the compatible Bluetooth filter. For this type of        pairing the audio would not need any special imbedded RF tag        discussed above, but this could be an option in order to layer        the anti-pirating features.    -   b. Pair with a standard Bluetooth protocol. This would make the        BMP3 compatible with all commercial products having a Bluetooth        pairing capability. But for this case the audio would have        imbedded in it an RF tag which would be designed to distort the        audio when recorded or played back. This would require a purpose        built filter to be imbedded in the audio speaker channel to        remove the music audio distortion.    -   c. Pair as in b) above but avoid the audio distortion with the        imbedded RF tag and instead require an audible trail of        connectivity which would be stored in the BMP3 memory and        perhaps on a Web site and which would identify the Bluetooth        device being paired in case needed for future litigation for        pirating.

An embodiment of the BMP3 incorporates a rechargeable battery withbattery charging through a NFC coil 24, or the less attractive anddiscouraged wired jack—28.

As FIG. 3 illustrates, the battery charging control circuitry 23 isseparate from the micro-controller with the only connection being +V and−V power leads from the battery 25 through the battery regulator 27.Eliminating micro-controller control of the battery charging controlcircuitry eliminates the potential of an external NFC signal fromaccessing the control software.

If a charging jack 28 is provided, wiring shall only connect the jack tothe charging circuit as illustrated in FIG. 3 , item 23, throughunidirectional diodes. This arrangement of connecting the BMP3 to acomputer USB port precludes any communication with the BMP3 computer.

As FIG. 3 illustrates a BMP3 embodiment incorporates a magnetic reedswitch 26 which turns the battery on and off. This switch is controlledby an external magnet slide bar 11 which slides in a BMP3 body slot 10or molded channel. With this arrangement the BMP3 body remains sealedand again there is no control connection between the micro-controllerand battery.

In an embodiment of the invention, the NFC technique may be altered toreplace the Bluetooth Ghz transmission protocol herein described. Thistechnique however, lacks NFC legal registration, potential bandwidthlimitations and a further complication of not compromising the layeredanti-pirating features inherent in the preferred BMP3 Bluetoothembodiment.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention packages the BMP3 in asmall sealed block of suitable plastic 10. The size of this package isdriven by the battery type, size and integration method. The batterysize in turn is influenced by the battery type and desired BMP3operating time. For example, the battery may take the form of aconventional cell phone rechargeable lithium-ion battery permanentlyimbedded in the BMP3 package. Or the lithium battery may be in aseparate detachable package. Or the separate battery pack may containconventional AA or AAA batteries. Any battery type or integration methodmay be used providing the BMP3 sealed integrity of the digital chip setand Bluetooth circuitry is maintained.

The battery pack may be single use or rechargeable. If rechargeable, thebattery may be charged by the preferred NFC magnetic coil 24, or througha standard AC-DC converter or solar cell DC voltage connected to theoptional charging jack 28.

An embodiment the BMP3 should not have an external audio jack, or linejack—a line jack differs from audio jack in analog level only—for thiscould weaken or compromise the multi-layer levels of anti-piratingfeatures. If an external audio jack is preferred the BMP3 audio outputshould incorporate a high frequency RF digital tag or other industrystandard modulation scheme requiring purpose built circuitry in theseparate audio speaker unit.

In a further embodiment of the BMP3 concept to enhance inhibiting ofunauthorized reproduction or pirating of stored music the sealed BMP3package may contain a hidden destruction feature which would render thedigital storage media unreadable if the BMP3 package is cut open. Thisdestruction feature may be as simple as conductive foil layers whichwill apply a reverse voltage to a % of the digital memory cells. Andstill another approach, breaking the BMP3 package open would causeclosely spaced wires to short apply a reverse voltage to a % of thedigital memory cells.

In another embodiment of the present invention the BMP3 may incorporatea time counter to keep track of BMP3 usage time. This time counter maybe advantageously used in a lease/rental marketing strategy to terminateuse or for general user information.

In another embodiment of the present invention the BMP3 may incorporatean imbedded LCD (or equivalent) screen 40 by which device informationsuch as battery use may be provide and through which the user maycommunicate operating preferences. Communicating with the LCD screen maybe done directly if it is a touch screen or indirectly by providing oneor more sealed surface mount buttons 41 beside the screen. Providing anLCD screen has a significant advantage when using simple wirelessheadsets like the Plantronics BackBeat Go with only a Bluetoothconnection capability. One example of a simple graphic LCD Display isthe 1.5″ Nokia 5110/3310 monochrome LCD.

In another embodiment of the present invention the BMP3 may incorporatevoice reporting/information to the user as opposed to providing userinformation that must be read from an external LCD screen, imbedded LCDscreen 40 or monitored by LEDs 9.

In another embodiment of the present invention the BMP3 may havebuilt-in or imbedded advertisements either conveyed by voice or read onan external LCD screen or imbedded LCD screen 40.

The BMP3 may be marketed as non-programmable which means the digitaltracks can never be altered or changed.

In a further embodiment of the present invention a BMP3 model mayincorporate a capability to allow one-time or multiple uploading ofmusic and library data from a commercial music store or music supplyenterprise. This capability expands the potential for increased sales byintroducing the consumer to ordering personalized music selectionspreloaded on the BMP3 device during purchase. This secured purchasingarrangement is new to the industry and not available without theinvention of the herein described BMP3. In addition and most importantthis type of purchase preserves the anti-pirating features inherent inthe BMP3.

The BMP3 may be marketed as single purchase or as a lease/rental.

As a further expansion of the marketing concept outlined above the BMP3may be marketed as a reprogrammable model but with two restrictions inorder to maintain the enhanced anti-pirating features. Theserestrictions are:

-   -   a. Reprogramming dumps all stored digital memory data without        the possibility of readout.    -   b. Inputting new music track/library data will only be accepted        by the BMP3 from authenticated music sources.

The preferred embodiment of BMP3 system use, illustrated in FIG. 4 ,consists of 3 major parts: the BMP3 player 10, charger 32 with magneticcoupling 33 and Bluetooth speakers 34 with power source 35. TheBluetooth antennas 29 and 30 are internal in both the devices 10 and 34but are shown externally here only for clarity. The Bluetooth speakers34 may be any suitable speakers unit, either mono or stereo, such as butnot limited to vehicle speakers, boom box, head set or public addresssystem. The compatibility of a particular Bluetooth speaker will bebased on the decision to use standard Bluetooth chip firmware relying ondevice serial number reporting and archiving or proprietary nonstandardBluetooth firmware. The Bluetooth Speakers unit may be divided into twoparts—a Bluetooth unit and power amplifier/speakers unit.

User operation of the basic BMP3 10 is illustrated in the flow chart ofFIG. 5 . This flow chart is based on the set of LEDs for battery statusand the Bluetooth Speaker unit to establish pairing and communicate modeof operation and playback music tracks to the BMP3 unit. Many variationsof this basic BMP3 unit are possible by adding more LED functions and abutton to cycle through modes of operation.

In basic operation 500, the BMP3 power switch is moved to the “ON”position 502. The BMP3 may then be monitored for battery level 504. Ifthe battery is not fully charged 506, it may be charged by setting theBMP3 on its magnetic charger 508. Next, the BMP3 enters its default dutyloop. If the BMP3 is not on 510, it can be turned on and attempt to pairwith a Bluetooth speaker system 512. Upon establishing pairing the BMP3enters its music track selection mode of operation 514. The music trackis then played on the paired Bluetooth speaker unit 516. Upon completion518, the BMP3 power switch is set to the “OFF” position 520.

User operation of the BMP3 unit containing an LCD screen 40 isillustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 6 . This flow chart is based onthe LCD screen providing battery status and the user/operator settingall operating modes and music playback selections through appropriateLCD screen menus. In addition the BMP3 LCD screen is used to establishpairing with the Bluetooth Speaker unit. Like the flow chart of FIG. 5 ,the Bluetooth Speaker unit may also establish the pairing if this unithas this independent capability.

In basic operation using an LCD screen 600, the BMP3 power switch ismoved to the “ON” position 602. The BMP3 LEDs may then be monitored forbattery level 604. If the battery is not fully charged 606, it may becharged by setting the BMP3 on its magnetic charger 608. Next, the BMP3enters its default duty loop. If the BMP3 is not on 610, it can beturned on and attempt to pair with a Bluetooth speaker system 614. Uponestablishing pairing, the BMP3 enters its music track selection mode ofoperation 612. The music track is then played on the paired Bluetoothspeaker unit 616. Upon completion 618, the BMP3 power switch is set tothe “OFF” position 620.

Summary Matrix of BMP3 Anti-Pirating Features

Requirements # Label Brief Description for use Limitations 1 BMP3Proprietary BMP3 BMP3 only Bluetooth Bluetooth compatible with workswith Filter communication Bluetooth compatible protocol speaker unitBluetooth speaker unit 2 BMP3 Standard 1) Standard Quality soundStandard Bluetooth Bluetooth device with special Bluetooth commurcation2) Purpose built filter in audio protocol filter in speakers speaker forquality sound channels 3 BMP3 Dual Combining #1 Combining #1 CombiningBluetooth and #2 and #2 and #1 and #2 as adding 3^(rd) option above andto avoid audio restricting 31 filter by register- option if not ingconnectivity registered device properly 4 Sealed Sealed unit n/a n/aBMP3 unit preventing wired electronic transfer of contents 5 RFmodulated Added feature to Same as #1 Same as #1 digital tag #1 asoption and #2 and #2 and #2 6 Destructive Renders digital n/a n/afeature storage unreadable when BMP3 package opened

As a further expansion of the BMP3 concept the design in its variousforms may be expanded to allow video storage and playback. This requiresthe digital storage capacity to be significantly increased since atypical movie requires 4.7 GB of storage compared to a song trackrequiring 3-5 MB of storage. The cost of storing a video movie in a BMP3memory chip set is estimated to be $2-$3. The anti-pirating layeredfeatures for music storage and playback also apply to video storage andplayback. In addition the marketing advantages discussed above alsoapply to video.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodimentsare merely illustrative of the principles and applications of thepresent invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerousmodifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that otherarrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a micro-controllercomprising electronic storage for a set of validated handshake codes andcontent digital storage, the micro-controller operatively connected to abattery, Bluetooth electronics, and an activation mechanism;instructions that, when executed by the micro-controller, cause themicro-controller to: upon actuation of the activation mechanism, attemptto receive from a Bluetooth device at least one handshake code withinthe set of validated handshake codes via the Bluetooth electronics, uponreceiving a handshake code within the set of validated handshake codes,transmit digital content to the Bluetooth device via the Bluetoothelectronics, and upon receiving a handshake code not within the set ofvalidated handshake codes, implement an anti-piracy security protocolconfigured to inhibit transmission of the digital content to theBluetooth device via the Bluetooth electronics.
 2. The system of claim1, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprises refusingtransmission of the digital content until a handshake code within theset of validated handshake codes is received.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprises transmitting thedigital content with a high frequency radio frequency modulated digitaltag configured to distort audio quality of the transmission.
 4. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprisesimbedding a high frequency (radio frequency) digital tag in the digitalcontent to encode the audio stream with a digital carrier configured todistort audio quality of the transmission if the digital carrier is notsynchronously stripped out by circuitry in the Bluetooth device.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprisesstoring an auditable trail in a memory operatively connected to themicro-controller, the auditable trail comprising identifying informationof the Bluetooth device, the handshake code received, and a timestamp ofthe transmission.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructionsthat, when executed by the micro-controller, further cause themicro-controller to: upon receiving a handshake code, storingidentifying information of the Bluetooth device, the received handshakecode, and a timestamp to create an auditable trail.
 7. An apparatuscomprising: a micro-controller comprising electronic storage for a setof validated handshake codes and content digital storage, themicro-controller operatively connected to a battery, Bluetoothelectronics, and an activation mechanism; instructions that, whenexecuted by the micro-controller, cause the micro-controller to: uponactuation of the activation mechanism, attempt to receive from aBluetooth device at least one handshake code within the set of validatedhandshake codes via the Bluetooth electronics, upon receiving ahandshake code within the set of validated handshake codes, transmitdigital content to the Bluetooth device via the Bluetooth electronics,and upon receiving a handshake code not within the set of validatedhandshake codes, implement an anti-piracy security protocol configuredto inhibit transmission of the digital content to the Bluetooth devicevia the Bluetooth electronics.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein theanti-piracy security protocol comprises refusing transmission of thedigital content until a handshake code within the set of validatedhandshake codes is received.
 9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein theanti-piracy security protocol comprises transmitting the digital contentwith a high frequency radio frequency modulated digital tag configuredto distort audio quality of the transmission.
 10. The apparatus of claim7, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprises imbedding a highfrequency radio frequency digital tag in the digital content to encodethe audio stream with a digital carrier configured to distort audioquality of the transmission if the digital carrier is not synchronouslystripped out by circuitry in the Bluetooth device.
 11. The apparatus ofclaim 7, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprises storing anauditable trail in a memory operatively connected to themicro-controller, the auditable trail comprising identifying informationof the Bluetooth device, the handshake code received, and a timestamp ofthe transmission.
 12. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the instructionsthat, when executed by the micro-controller, further cause themicro-controller to: upon receiving a handshake code, storingidentifying information of the Bluetooth device, the received handshakecode, and a timestamp to create an auditable trail.
 13. A method foroperating a micro-controller including electronic storage for a set ofvalidated handshake codes and content digital storage, themicro-controller operatively connected to a battery, Bluetoothelectronics, and an activation mechanism, the method comprising: uponactuation of the activation mechanism, attempting to receive from aBluetooth device at least one handshake code within the set of validatedhandshake codes via the Bluetooth electronics; upon receiving ahandshake code within the set of validated handshake codes, transmittingdigital content to the Bluetooth device via the Bluetooth electronics;and upon receiving a handshake code not within the set of validatedhandshake codes, implementing an anti-piracy security protocolconfigured to inhibit transmission of the digital content to theBluetooth device via the Bluetooth electronics.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprises refusingtransmission of the digital content until a handshake code within theset of validated handshake codes is received.
 15. The method of claim13, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprises transmitting thedigital content with a high frequency radio frequency modulated digitaltag configured to distort audio quality of the transmission.
 16. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprisesimbedding a high frequency radio frequency digital tag in the digitalcontent to encode the audio stream with a digital carrier configured todistort audio quality of the transmission if the digital carrier is notsynchronously stripped out by circuitry in the Bluetooth device.
 17. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the anti-piracy security protocol comprisesstoring an auditable trail m a memory operatively connected to themicro-controller, the auditable trail comprising identifying informationof the Bluetooth device, the handshake code received, and a timestamp ofthe transmission.
 18. The method of claim 13, further comprising: uponreceiving a handshake code, storing identifying information of theBluetooth device, the received handshake code, and a timestamp to createan auditable trail.